Registration for returning S’poreans applying for local schools resumes after platform disruption
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The Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board Candidates Portal faced ”technical issues” on July 9.
PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
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SINGAPORE – Registration for returning Singaporeans seeking to study in schools here resumed on July 10, following technical issues the day before on a platform where they could apply for related tests.
But registration for foreigners seeking to study in local schools – which uses the same portal – has been delayed to an unspecified date.
In response to The Straits Times’ queries, the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) said on July 10 that registration for the School Placement Exercise for Returning Singaporeans-Secondary (SPERS-Sec) on its candidate portal has been extended to July 23.
“The AEIS (Admissions Exercise for International Students) registration module will resume later, and the registration deadline will be extended accordingly,” an SEAB spokesperson said.
“Measures are being put in place to manage a higher application volume for the AEIS module. In the meantime, users have also been advised on the appropriate application protocols to not cause inconvenience to others.”
SPERS-Sec is for Singapore citizens and permanent residents (PRs) seeking admission to local schools at the Secondary 1 to 3 levels in 2025, while AEIS is for foreigners seeking admission to local schools at the Secondary 1 to 3 levels, as well as Primary 2 to 5 levels, in 2025.
Applicants use the SEAB portal to register for tests, and based on the results, foreigners may be placed in a school, while citizens and PRs will be given a list of schools to choose from, according to the Ministry of Education’s website.
On July 9, MOE said in a notice on its website that applicants for both schemes on the SEAB Candidates Portal were facing “some technical issues”.
The ministry did not elaborate on what these issues were.
A message on the SEAB Candidates Portal had said: “Please be assured that all seats are still available for registration. We will update you on the status by 9am on July 10. Please rest for the day.”
Applications opened at 9am on July 9, and were scheduled to end at noon on July 22.
Over the past five years, foreign students have made up around 5 per cent of enrolment in Singapore’s secondary schools and junior colleges, according to a parliamentary reply in 2023.
